Bill Text: CT HB05470 | 2016 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Establishing A Pilot Program For Minority Students In High School To Pursue A College Degree In Education.
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Passed) 2016-06-09 - Signed by the Governor [HB05470 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2016-HB05470-Chaptered.html
Substitute House Bill No. 5470
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A PILOT PROGRAM FOR MINORITY STUDENTS IN HIGH SCHOOL TO PURSUE A COLLEGE DEGREE IN EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective July 1, 2016) (a) There is established an educator pathways pilot program for minority students in grades eleven and twelve to take college courses in the field of education at participating state universities. The following school districts and state universities shall be partners in the pilot program: (1) The boards of education for the New Haven school district and the West Haven school district and Southern Connecticut State University, (2) the board of education for the New Britain school district and Central Connecticut State University, (3) the board of education for the Windham school district and Eastern Connecticut State University, and (4) the board of education for the Danbury school district and Western Connecticut State University.
(b) Not later than June 30, 2017, the partnering school district and state university shall enter into an agreement regarding the implementation of the pilot program. Such agreement shall identify the courses in the field of education to be offered to minority students participating in the pilot program as follows: (1) One existing course offered at the state university that includes introductory topics in the field of education that may be offered for credit, provided there is space available in such course, and (2) two existing courses offered at the state university that include topics in the field of education that may be offered for credit. A state university (A) shall not charge tuition to the school district for minority students participating in the pilot program enrolled in the course described in subdivision (1) of this subsection, and (B) may charge tuition to the school district for each such minority student enrolled in the courses described in subdivision (2) of this subsection, provided such tuition shall not exceed the tuition charged to any student classified as an in-state student for tuition purposes pursuant to section 10a-29 of the general statutes. A partnering school district and state university may identify additional courses offered at the state university in the field of education to be included in the pilot program and such additional courses shall be paid for by charging tuition to the school district, in a manner similar to the tuition charged for courses described in subdivision (2) of this subsection, or with funds appropriated to the Office of Higher Education for the minority teacher recruitment program.
(c) For the school years commencing July 1, 2017, and July 1, 2018, each partnering state university shall enroll minority students in grades eleven and twelve in each partnering school district pursuant to the agreement described in subsection (b) of this section.
(d) A school district listed in subsection (a) of this section may include participation in the educator pathways pilot program in the plan submitted as part of such district's application to the Department of Education for alliance district funding, pursuant to section 10-262u of the general statutes, and use any such funds to enroll minority students participating in such pilot program at the partnering state university.
(e) Each school district listed in subsection (a) of this section shall designate an existing employee to serve as a counselor to minority students participating in the pilot program. The counselor shall provide information to such minority students about (1) teacher shortage areas, as determined by the Commissioner of Education pursuant to section 10-8b of the general statutes, and (2) the advanced placement course program, as defined in section 10-221r of the general statutes, provided by the school district and whether such advanced placement course program includes course credit that is transferable to the partnering state university.
(f) For purposes of this section, "minority students" means those students whose race is defined as other than white, or whose ethnicity is defined as Hispanic or Latino by the federal Office of Management and Budget for use by the Bureau of Census of the United States Department of Commerce.